The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced last week that The Louis Armstrong Museum in Corona, Queens was the recipient of its National Medal for Museums. This is the nation’s highest honor given to libraries and museums that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. In 2023, the museum expanded its reach with the new Louis Armstrong Center, designed by Caples Jefferson Architects. By extending the capacity of the museum and its educational opportunities, the Center preserves and expands the legacy of America’s most-enduring Black popular music icon.
Since 1994, IMLS has presented this award to outstanding libraries and museums of all types and sizes that deeply impact their communities. These selected libraries and museums foster a lifelong passion for learning for all people, nourish curiosity and imagination, and enrich the lives of locals by being trusted community spaces for convening, connection, and conversation. Among the ten Museum and Library Awards recipients this year, the Louis Armstrong House Museum is the only honor recipient in New York state.
“This award recognizes not only the museum and its influence, but the dedicated team that consistently brings the legacy of Louis Armstrong to life,” said Sara Caples and Everardo Jefferson, founders of Caples Jefferson Architects. “When we designed the new Center, we wanted it to be an interpretation of Armstrong’s infinite love of music as well as a place where the local community could gather and learn more about the icon in the neighborhood that he loved so much. We want to congratulate the team for supporting our vision and safeguarding the legacy of this landmark.”
“This personifies recognition of our dedication to preserving the legacy of Louis Armstrong, a cultural icon whose impact transcends generations and borders,” said Regina Bain, the museum’s Executive Director. “It also serves as a validation of our mission to preserve and interpret Armstrong’s house and grounds, collect and share archival materials that document Armstrong’s life and legacy, develop programs for the public that educate and inspire, and engage with contemporary artists to create performances and new works.”
The new Center that Caples Jefferson designed is a place for education, entertainment, and research. It is the permanent home for the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive (the world’s largest for any jazz musician) and a 75-seat venue for performances, lectures, films, community events and educational experiences. The Center also features Here to Stay, an exhibition curated by multimedia artist Jason Moran, which explores Armstrong’s five-decade career as an innovative musician, rigorous archivist, consummate collaborator and community builder. The new 14,000-square-foot building is the final piece of a larger campus that includes the home itself, Armstrong’s garden, and now the Center, designed as an interpretation of Armstrong’s infinite love of music. It has quickly become an international destination celebrating Armstrong’s distinctive role in African-Diaspora history and vitality offering year-round exhibitions, performances, lectures, and screenings through an array of public programs for all ages.